About Us

HCL is an international development consultancy carrying out technical assistance projects in communities across the developing world.

HCL strives to go beyond project boundaries and approaches each project with vision and innovation.

We recognise the need to bridge the divide between time-bound donor-funded, expert-led development projects and the need for durable, sustainable structures in the developing countries they are aimed at. With that in mind, HCL is interested in creating opportunities for the Private Sector to invest in projects which add value to Donor funded activities and combine funding from Governments and International Financing Institutions.

The HCL Group consists of HCL Consultants Ltd, HCL Management Limited and Pescares s.r.l. The Group as a whole covers a wide range of development consultancy activities carried out mainly on behalf of the principal Donors and International Financing Institutions (e.g. EU, EIB, EBRD, GIZ, World Bank).

HCL Consultants Limited, the Holding Company for the HCL Group, was registered in Cyprus in 2003. Apart from its function as the Group Holding Company, HCL Consultants is primarily responsible for implementing consulting activities in a wide range of sectors across multiple countries and regions in the developing world. The Company is currently a partner in a number of large technical assistance projects as well as a significant number of Framework Contracts for various Donors and IFIs.

The key sectors for the large projects cover energy, water and wastewater, and regional and local development. As concerns the framework contract these cover rural development, education, employment, public finance management as well as infrastructure sectors.

HCL Management Limited provides assistance to HCL Consultants and Pescares in terms of overall project management/coordination and provision of logistical support to their project implementation activities. The Company is based in Athens, Greece.

PESCARES Italia s.r.l. is an international development consultancy based in Milan (Italy) that was established in 1997 and is part of HCL Group since 2007.

PESCARES specialises on the environment and natural resource management and is associated with leading experts who have worked throughout the world for numerous public sector organisations, including major international funding agencies such as the European Commission, the World Bank, , the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

PESCARES is particularly active in the following areas:

Environment and Natural Resource Management

Climate Change and Climate Adaptation

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Sustainable Tourism

What we value in HCL and those we work with. FLEXIBILITY

We remain grounded in reality

We create results driven by process with process-influenced goals

A human-centred approach is at our core

We use strategy as a dynamic tool

COLLABORATION - “One hand cannot clap” (old Sudanese proverb)

Starts in-house: we value staff input and encourage initiative

We concentrate on strategic and inclusive partnerships

We are prompted by a shared vision and principles

We view communication as the glue that holds it all together

EFFECTIVENESS

We are quality-driven

We put our efficiency to good use

We value a practice-based approach over theory

We deploy our diverse team to meet diverse needs

Board of Directors

Nick Craze

Technical Director, Senior Partner

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (919)

Nick Craze is a Senior Partner and Technical Director for HCL. Nick is an agronomist by education and has been working in a development context for over 30 years. He is co- founder of HCL.

Julian Cassavetti

Administrative Director, Senior Partner

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (924)

Julian Cassavetti is a Senior Partner and Administrative Director for HCL. Over the years Julian has been active in fisheries, tourism and agricultural exports. He is co- founder of HCL.

Meet the Team

Alexandra Klimis

Senior Project Manager & Event Coordinator

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (930)

First Glance

Alexandra has been a Project Manager at HCL since 2007. Her responsibilities include project identification, coordination of bidding procedures, and project management for international development projects funded by various Donors and IFIs, especially in Africa. She has also been responsible for the Logistics and Event organization of various EU funded assignments that have taken place in Europe and Africa.

Alexandra started her career at the legal department of the Council of the European Union in the team in charge of External relations and became familiar with the procedures for development cooperation and in particular EDF procedures of the EU. From 2006 to 2007 she was project manager and associate researcher in a Greek NGO specialized in research, training and technical cooperation for promoting human rights, the rule of law, democratization processes, public administration reform, and alignment of national legislations to the EU acquis.

Since joining HCL Alexandra has been involved in the management of the EU funded Framework Contracts and PMU projects as well as the Short-Term Experts Facility (STEF) for the EU Technical Assistance Facility for the “Sustainable Energy for All” Initiative for East & Southern Africa. Since 2016 she has been working in the Business Development department with a specific focus on Africa. More specifically her main tasks include: project identification for technical assistance projects funded by Donors and IFIs; project bid preparation and project management.

Alexandra has acted as coordinator and supervisor for several high-level meetings, workshops, training and study tours in Europe and Africa. She has practical experience in the field in Kenya, Zambia Namibia, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

Alexandra’s mother tongue is French and she’s fluent in English and Greek.

Master in Compared public Law of EU Member States, (Master thesis: “The protection of ethnic Minorities in compared law of Greece and France”), Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne LLM (Public Law), Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas

Off the record

I once had a fight with a Baboon in Zambia… and I won! Favorite Quote: “Everything’s gonna be alright”

Alexander Grivas

STEF Project Coordinator & Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (932)

First Glance

Alexander is a Project Manager, working as the Short-Term Expert Facility (STEF) Coordinator on the EU funded SE4ALL TAF project, for East and Southern Africa. He joined HCL Consultants in 2014 and has been involved in the running of STEF since then, and since 2015 responsible for the overall management.

Alexander began working at HCL Consultants in 2014 as the Project Manager of large-scale EU-funded projects in the infrastructure sector, mainly focusing on energy. Since then, he has been working on the “Sustainable Energy for ALL (SE4ALL) TAF for East and Southern Africa” project, conducting and monitoring high level / technical workshops as Logistics Expert in several African countries (e.g. Kenya, Ethiopia, Cape Verde & Egypt). Alexander has also provided technical backstopping support to missions in the field (e.g. technical and financial analysis of the HV transmission line between Antananarivo and Toamasina in Madagascar). He has taken on both the Administrative and the Financial Project Management of all missions implemented in the region, the monitoring of the implementation of all on-going projects and technical workshops, as well as the supervision of their financial performance. He also oversees the quality control of reports produced by short-term experts. Alexander is also experienced in the assessment of the economic impact and viability of projects through conducting cost-benefit analysis and deriving economic indicators such as Cost-Benefit Ratio and Economic Rate of Return (ERR).

Alexander previously worked on several projects as a Junior Research Analyst at the Bank of Greece; mainly on a Flow of Funds project (for integrated euro area accounts), collecting and analyzing data from various sources (SDW, Eurostat, BoG).

Alexander is fluent in both English and Greek.

The Regulation of the Power Sector (ongoing course), Florence School of Regulation MSc in Applied Finance and Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business Degree in Economics, University of Piraeus

Off the record

I was certain I was going to become a basketball player in my younger years and only gave up on my dreams because of ‘my bad ankles’. Favorite Quote: “Stressed spelled backwards is desserts.”

Anastasia Chatzigiannidi

Assistant Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (914)

First Glance

Anastasia works as a Assistant Project Manager on Framework Contracts, mainly focusing on project bid preparation and implementation of EU-funded Framework Contract projects.

Anastasia joined HCL as a Trainee in the Frameworks Department in October 2016. Prior to HCL, and as part of her studies, Anastasia participated in two Erasmus+ exchange programs in South Korea and the Netherlands as well as numerous volunteer programs across the world.

Anastasia is fluent in Greek, English and has good working knowledge of German.

BSc in International and European Economic Studies, Athens University of Economics and Business.

Off the record

I want to make memories all over the world; that’s the reason why I try to travel as much as possible, with the most memorable one a backpacking trip across Vietnam, with the most ridiculously low budget and alarmingly high fever, but days filled with joy nevertheless. Favorite Quote: “There’s almost nothing you can’t accomplish if you set your mind to it.”

Eleni Karfaki

Head of Communications & Business Development Department

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (914)

First Glance

Eleni is a senior communications consultant, and heads HCL Group’s business development. She has been working in awareness raising within development cooperation for the past 10 years. Apart from coordinating our communication-related work, she also coordinates our business development, our knowledge management and building and maintaining contacts with the ‘industry’.

Eleni first joined HCL as its New Business Developer back in 2008. In the context of her linguist background, she engaged with EU institutions and agencies early on - having worked within the European Parliament and the European Central Bank, among others, over the past 20 years. She gradually turned to communications, networking and knowledge sharing, with a focus on the environment sector. She has been working in development cooperation for the past 10 years, in strategizing and coordinating for HCL’s Donor/IFI-funded projects. Eleni has also provided expert services within a number of technical assistance projects in some 30 countries worldwide, especially in the fields of environment, climate action, energy, green/blue growth, etc.

Eleni is Greek-American, and speaks English, Greek, French, Spanish and some Portuguese.

Master’s Degree from the Institute of Translation, Interpretation and International Relations (ITI-RI) –Robert Schumann University, Strasbourg II, France Postgraduate diploma in Spanish translation (Salamanca, Spain) University degree in French and Spanish (Athens, Greece).

Off the record

I am Greek, but I don’t eat feta cheese. Actually, I can’t stand the sight of it. I have been bullied over this since I was a kid! Favorite Quote: “Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you deal with it”

Eleni Gerakari

Head of FWCs & PMU Department

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (920)

First Glance

Eleni heads up HCL Consultants’ EC Frameworks and PMU Department. Since 2007, she has been involved as a project manager, consultant, and new business development manager in a number of donor funded projects.

Eleni first joined HCL as Project Manager in the EU Frameworks department. Between 2011-2012, she worked for the European Commission (DG TAXUD) in Brussels as Project Officer responsible for Project/Process and Contract Management for training, eLearning, localization and web 2.0 activities. Subsequently, she was involved as a freelancer in the implementation of training projects for SMEs. She re-joined the company in 2014 and is currently responsible for the EC Frameworks and PMU Department.

Eleni has overall experience of the business and project cycle of donor funded projects; from intelligence and opportunity search, through concept note formulation, stakeholders’ matching, initiation, search and preparation of business development activities, to bid writing and facilitation management. In the context of EU funded technical assistance and grant projects, Eleni has organized a number of events in Europe and in ACP countries and has also coordinated dissemination and communication activities.

Eleni is fluent in Greek, English and has a working knowledge of French and Spanish. MSc in Public Management, SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) BSc in International and European Economic Studies, Athens University of Economics and Business, (Greece)

Off the record

Out of office for me means you can find me at the beach. Favorite Quote: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars."

Erica Mitsi

Principal Consultant

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (935)

First Glance

Erica has just joined HCL as a Senior Process Engineering & Environmental Consultant, though her co-operation with the company as freelance consultant dates back to 2012. Erica has worked, and is currently engaged, as both key and non-key expert on a number of Donor/IFI funded projects in the water/wastewater and waste sectors.

Erica is a chartered chemical engineer with an MSc in environmental engineering, and 16 years of professional experience in environmental assessment and process design for industrial and infrastructure projects. These include wastewater treatment complexes and sewerage networks, municipal solid waste landfills, MSW transfer stations, mechanical separation – recycling - composting plants and desalination facilities for water supply. She has a proven track record in the elaboration of Master Plans, EIA studies, Technical Specifications, Design Studies and EU/FIDIC Tender Documents for solid waste and wastewater management projects.

Erica has considerable experience in project management, coordination and internal / ex-post evaluations, according to the rules and regulations of Cohesion Fund and other EU Structural Funds, Operational Programs and Transnational Cooperation Programs, at all phases of the project cycle. In particular, she has in-depth experience in (a) the elaboration of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Studies for infrastructure projects including Municipal and Hazardous Solid Waste and Wastewater Treatment projects, (b) environmental and technical due diligence audits of industrial & infrastructure projects and processes as part of mergers and acquisitions and (c) environmental and technical legislative reviews for liability assessments and project compliance to regulatory frameworks, including enforcement of applicable legislation (EU and national environmental laws including Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Turkey, FYROM, Egypt) for governmental authorities, private sector entities and financial institutions.

Particularly in Egypt, she has extensive hands-on experience in the water and sanitation sector, having worked for the past 5 years on a number of Donor/IFI funded projects in various Governorates.

Erica is fluent in English and Greek and has a working knowledge of French. MSc in Environmental Engineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK. Diploma in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineers, University of Patras, Greece.

Off the record

I was a competitive swimmer in the past but now can only exercise by measuring wastewater flows in the River Nile! Favorite Quote: "Heads-up!"

Evangelos Spiridakis

Assistant Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (937)

First Glance

Evangelos joined HCL as a Trainee, and is now an Assistant Project Manager in the EU Framework Contracts and PMU department. He is also involved in the company’s social media platforms.

He also plays an important role in updating HCL’s social media presence, based on his extensive hands-on social media experience. He has created an Instagram account, which has hit a 6 digit number of followers, and is fascinated by the impact that these platforms could have on our lives.

Evangelos first came to HCL in 2016, as a graduate intern from Athens University of Economic and Business, and has stayed on as part of the EU Framework Contracts and PMU team. Evangelos is progressively gaining experience in FWC contract procedures.

Evangelos is fluent in English and Greek, and has good knowledge of German.

BSc in Business Administration, Athens University of Economic and Business

Off the record

I was a triple jumper for more than 8 years; I once fell (hard!) while competing in a national championship, got up, continued my tries, and managed a new Personal Best. Favorite Quote: "You’ll never know unless you try."

Dr. George Kyriakarakos

Senior Energy Consultant

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (936)

First Glance

George is a Senior Energy Consultant mainly involved in the EU TAF SE4All East and Southern Africa contract. Apart from working on various assignments as an expert, he also lends support to the Short-Term Expert Facility in the more technical aspects of assignment implementation.

Dr. George Kyriakarakos is an Agricultural Engineer, holds an MSc in the field of “Energy Systems and Renewable Energy Sources” and a PhD in the field of “Renewable Energy Autonomous Polygeneration Smartgrids optimized with Soft Computing Techniques”. He has 14 years’ experience in national and international research, innovation and development projects in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. Among other fields, the focus of these projects covered computational intelligence approaches for the design, sizing, management and control of complex energy systems, as well as the technical regulation of renewables and energy efficiency.

George is fluent in Greek and English, also speaks German and Spanish, and has authored 10 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 1 book chapter and 23 international conference publications with over 300 citations of his work. His h-index is 8 and his g-index is 17.

Travelling is an important part of my life. Each new country visited is a testament of how little you know about the world and is the best means of gaining a better perspective of the world in which we live. So, travel hard, travel far! Favorite Quote: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Ismini Spachou

Senior Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (927)

First Glance

Ismini has been with HCL for over six years, working as a Project Manager. She has been involved in the management of the EU funded Framework Contracts and is currently part of the project coordination team for the EU funded Sustainable Energy for ALL (SE4ALL), both for East & Southern Africa and Central & Western Africa. She has also been involved in the Logistics and Event organization of various SE4ALL assignments as a non-key expert in both Europe and Africa.

Ismini is a highly experienced project manager for IFI/Donor projects at HCL Consultants. Of her ten years working experience, six have been spent managing technical assistance projects in the developing world. She provides logistical, networking and administrative support to development aid projects, primarily EuropeAid long-term projects and framework contracts.

She has been involved in the backstopping of large projects such as the EU-funded project TA to the HCWW for Technical Studies and Strategy Development implemented in Egypt, the MEDA Integrated Maritime Policy Project, as well as PMU projects such as BizClim.

Her role as member of the team responsible for the EU-funded Sustainable Energy for ALL (SE4ALL) TAF for East and Southern Africa Short-Term Expert Facility (STEF), centres mainly on the identification and mobilization of experts, day-to-day monitoring of assignments (logistical and financial aspects), quality control of the deliverables and ensuring the smooth implementation of the assignments/field missions.

She has also been responsible for high level technical workshops and study tours, as a Logistic and Event Organisation Expert, both in Europe and in Africa.

Ismini was previously engaged in the Infrastructure/Construction sector as a Senior Recruiter for live projects implemented in Europe and CIS countries. She has also worked as a professional translator for both private clients and translation companies.

Ismini is fluent in French, Greek and English and has a sound working knowledge of Spanish.

My dream of becoming a professional dancer will never fade away and I still hope to dance flamenco on stage with Sara Baras one day! Favorite Quote: "First I drink the coffee. Then I do the things."

Jasmine Massoumi

Graphic Production Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (912)

First Glance

Jasmine has been HCL’s Graphic Production Manager for over six years. She is in charge of producing promotional material and visibility items for projects implemented by HCL and its partners. She works in close collaboration with clients, project managers and experts, producing graphic solutions tailored to the needs of each project.
She is also engaged as Graphic Design Expert on a number of EU-funded technical assistance projects.

For the past 10 years she has been working in Graphic Design and Production, as well as IT, for a variety of EU funded projects. She has been responsible for designing promotional items such as roll-up banners, presentation folders, notepads, and business cards; developing production timelines, coordinating with content managers, and doing the quality control of the final product. Another important aspect of her work is the graphic design and layout of large proposals, reports, and publications.

She is familiar with the design elements and visibility standards required by major Donors/IFIs, and is proficient in the use of Graphic Design Software and Desktop Publishing Applications such as Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and Lightroom.

She loves the design field and genuinely believes that good design can bring in more than added value; a clever design simplifies and differentiates and therefore offers solutions to complexity. Jasmine follows design trends closely, so as to stay abreast of industry developments.

Her mother tongue is Farsi (Persian) and she is fluent in English and Greek.

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Computer Information Systems (CIS) - Distinction Various online courses in graphic design and desktop publishing

Off the record

My first piece of “abstract” artwork was created at the age of 4 when, not particularly liking the color of a freshly painted wall in my family’s living room, I grabbed a purple pen and improved the wall without any second thoughts! Favorite Quote: “Make it happen, and make it happen in Style.”

Konstantina Galanou

HR and Accounting Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (926)

First Glance

Konstantina is a HR and Accounting Manager at HCL. Since joining HCL in 2010, Konstantina has been involved in the financial monitoring of EU-funded technical assistance projects, and in all the HR functions of the company.

Konstantina’s’ first career steps were at Neoset, a furniture manufacturing company, as an accounting assistant. She then joined Citibank as Recruitment and Training Coordinator, and subsequently worked as a HR Coordinator at Samsung.

She is responsible for the HR functions of HCL, including recruitment-departure processes, job placements, monthly payroll, employee benefits, employee timesheets, handling incoming CVs from experts who wish to work with HCL etc.

Konstantina is actively involved in monthly and yearly closings, audit and reporting activities. Her role in accounting is to ensure and monitor compliance with local tax requirements, legislation and corporate accounting principles.

She is fluent in English and Greek and has a working knowledge of French.

MSc degree in Human Resources and Organizational analysis, King’s College London (UK) BSc in Economics, University of Thessaly (Greece)

“Off the record”

I have been a keen volleyball player since my primary school days. So keen that when I broke my leg playing, and had to wear a cast for three months, I continued playing and ended up twisting the ankle of the other leg as well. Favorite Quote: “Be yourself”

Lemonia Kathariou

Senior Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (926)

First Glance

Lemonia has been working as Senior Project Manager at HCL since May 2011. She has managed numerous Donor/ IFIs funded projects and more recently she has been involved in the financial monitoring of EU and EIB funded projects implemented by the company.

Of her more than 12 years of professional experience, 10 have been in the management and monitoring of technical assistance projects.

She is also involved in the preparation of technical and financial offers, identification of experts and evaluation of CVs for short and long term missions, preparation and quality control of outputs/deliverables and compliance to TA projects requirements, coordination of logistics for project implementation and liaison with Contracting Authorities and consulting companies, identification of new business opportunities; preparation of communication plans for Donor funded projects, preparation of reports and monitoring/correction of reports prepared by experts.
Lemonia has worked as an expert and in evaluations, evaluating LIFE 2014 proposals, and assisting SMEs with the submission of business plans for Structural Fund applications.

Lemonia is fluent in Greek, English and Italian and has a good working knowledge of Spanish and French.

MBA, Major in Finance, Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece) MRes in Evolutionary Biology and Systematics, University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) MSc in Agricultural Science and Engineering, Major in Water Resources Management, Agricultural University of Athens (Greece)

Off the record

I am an avid swimmer; at 12 years old I was a national champion and I have kept it up, swimming on a daily basis up until 3 days before I gave birth! I hopes my daughter will follow in my footsteps. Favorite Quote: “Per se!”

Rubina Aggelatou

Accounting and Finance Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (923)

First Glance

Rubina is an Accounting and Finance Manager at HCL. Apart from her involvement in the company’s day-to-day accounting, she has been responsible for the financial monitoring and management of a number of large donor-funded technical assistance projects.

Rubina has 10 years working experience in accounting and has been working in HCL’s accounting department since February 2010. She has gained in-depth knowledge of the financial management requirements of large EU and EIB funded projects, as well as those of Framework and PMU contracts. She also has considerable experience in preparing the financial and audit reports required for the audit process of long term contracts.

Rubina manages and monitors HCL’s overall financials and HR procedures, including monthly and year-end closings, reconciliation of accounts and assistance to the company’s auditor for daily finance and accounting procedures. She carries out and monitors all accounting and reporting activities as well as ensuring compliance with local tax authorities requirements and corporate and local accounting principles.

Previously she worked as an accounting assistant at Samsung Electronics Hellas, responsible for daily and monthly accounting procedures as well as various HR tasks.

Rubina is fluent in English and Greek and has basic knowledge of French.

I have always loved photography and have attended a couple of seminars. I never come back from a trip without hundreds of photos every time. My camera is always in my bag and not a day goes by without taking pictures. Favorite Quote: “Always look on the bright side of life”

Sarah Charles

Communication Consultant and Senior Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (921)

First Glance

Sarah is a Senior Project Manager at HCL for Framework Contracts and PMU Contracts, with a strong focus on sub-Saharan Africa. She also plays an active role in HCL’s communication activities, both at company level and on specific projects, as an expert or through the provision of technical backstopping support.

Sarah joined HCL in 2009, where she works as Project Manager for Framework Contracts and PMU Contracts. She is involved in HCL’s communication activities, both as Project Manager and as expert. She is experienced in project bid preparation and coordination, project management, communication activities and the supervision of event logistics.

Sarah has a strong interest in communication for a more sustainable development and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development (with specialisation in Communication and Knowledge Management for Development) at SOAS’ Centre for Environment, Development and Policy (CeDEP). She sees communication as the catalyst for the effective implementation of the post-2015 development agenda and hopes to see new technologies and social media put to use to serve true social change and poverty reduction.

Sarah is bilingual in French and English, with a sound knowledge of Greek and a working knowledge of Spanish.

MSc in Sustainable Development - Centre for Environment, Development and Policy (CeDEP), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)/ University of London (Ongoing) BA (Hons) in Performance Arts - LIPA, Liverpool John Moores University

Off the record

Was vegetarian for 12 years, before moving to Greece and sampling whole lamb on the spit. Favorite Quote: “Never say never”

Sophia Peppa

Environmental Consultant

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (918)

First Glance

Sophia is a an Assistant Project Manager & Environmental Consultant at HCL for large Donor/IFI funded infrastructure projects, with a focus on energy and water/wastewater sectors.

Sophia joined HCL in 2016 as an intern to support water and wastewater projects implemented in Egypt. From the beginning of 2017 she was appointed Project Manager with key responsibility to contribute to the preparation and implementation of large Donor/IFI funded infrastructure projects mainly in the energy and water/wastewater sector with a particular focus on Egypt.

In 2013, Sophia graduated from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department having majored in the field of Energy. After completion of her studies, she worked for a Greek consulting company (Mentoring S.A.) on a variety of tasks. These included playing a central role on the organizing committee of a national conference on social entrepreneurship, and evaluating and reporting for projects in both the public and the private sector. Her next stop was an Engineering Internship at the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich, where she participated in the effort for the reclassification of patent documents under the classification scheme of Climate Change Mitigation Technologies and Smart Grids. All these experiences brought her to the realization that the best way to tackle environmental issues is in the framework of sustainable development; which is why she chose to attend the Environmental Management and Policy (EMP) master program at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) in Lund University, Sweden. She graduated in September 2016, having participated in a number of projects in Sweden and Portugal during her studies.

She is fluent in Greek and English, with a working knowledge of German.

Master’s Program in Environmental Management and Policy, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University Diploma of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)

Off the record

After two assignments and one MSc thesis on reducing the consumption of plastic bags, I am well known among my friends as the reusable bag advocate. Now I receive selfies from my friends holding reusable bags that make me feel that I've made a change. Favorite Quote: “Stay positive, work hard and make it happen!”

Stefania Fafaliou

Project Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (922)

First Glance

Stefania is a Project Manager at HCL for the Framework Contracts and PMUs, with a focus on project bid preparation and project implementation of EC, EBRD and EIB short term contracts. She is also active in the identification of experts/CV evaluation for larger projects.

Since joining HCL in 2014, Stefania has gained experience in the preparation and implementation of short term technical assistance projects for various countries and donors. She provides backstopping support and covers the administrative and quality control aspects of framework contracts. She is also active in the identification of experts and evaluation of CVs for both short and long term projects.

Before coming to HCL, Stefania worked for the European Parliament (DG Personnel) in Luxembourg, as well as the Press Office of the Greek Permanent Representation in Brussels.

Stefania is fluent in English, Greek and has a working knowledge of French.

MSc in International Employment Relations and Human Resource Management, London School of Economics and Political Science (UK)

BSc in International and European Studies, University of Piraeus (Greece)

Off the record

Avid book reader, bacon eater and coffee drinker. I was also the singer in a rock band. No, really. I was. Favorite Quote: “Oh, look. It’s coffee o’clock”.

Syrila Makarezou

Financial and Accounting Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (938)

First Glance

Syrila is a Finance and Accounting Manager, responsible for the day-to-day management of the financial activities of the EU-funded Sustainable Energy for ALL (SE4ALL) TAF projects. HCL is a partner in the consortia which were awarded these two large projects in South and East, and West and Central, Africa.

Syrila joined the HCL family in 2015. She initially worked in the accounts department where she was involved in the financial management of framework contracts funded by EU, EBRD and, EIB. Since 2016 she has been part of the Short-Term Expert Facility (STEF) team responsible for the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) for East and Southern Africa. She is also involved in the financial management of the SE4ALL TAF for West and Central Africa, of which HCL is also a consortium member.

The experience she gained from internships with multinational firms and the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave her interesting perspectives in finance and economics.

Syrila is fluent in Greek and English and has a working knowledge of German and French.

MSc in Energy: Law, Strategy and Economics, University of Piraeus, with dissertation topic “The African electricity energy market to the standards of European Union”.

BSc in International and European Affairs, University of Piraeus

Off the record

She had no idea she would fly to Τogo over a weekend for urgent business reasons…well, adventures are welcome! Favorite Quote: “Perspective is everything.”

Thanos Smanis

Senior Environmental Consultant

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (928)

First Glance

Thanos joined HCL Group in 2014 as a LIFE evaluator. Since then he has been responsible for new business development in the environmental/climate change sector, while also contributing to Pescares Italia (part of HCL Group) project portfolio. He is also a Senior Environmental/Biodiversity consultant in EC and EIB funded projects.

Thanos combines technical knowledge with strong project management skills. He joined HCL in 2014 as an evaluator for the EU’s LIFE projects for Nature and Biodiversity for DG ENV, and is currently involved as Environmental/Climate Change/Biodiversity expert in the following projects: i) Facility for Regional Policy Dialogue on Integrated Maritime Policy / Climate Change-EC/DG NEAR, ii) Service Contract to support the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) –EC/DG MARE and iii) Climate and Environmental MRV System and Screening Toolkit for EIB

Thanos is part of the business development team focusing on the environmental/climate change sector, and contributing to the activities of Pescares Italia (part of HCL Group). He has been involved in the preparation, appraisal and supervision of a number of projects in the following sectors: i) nature and biodiversity, ii) climate change, iii) maritime policy, iv) land management v) EIAs etc.

He has worked in several environmental, nature and climate change projects as a researcher, consultant and project manager; both with institutes and research centers, and with companies such as CEAM-Spain, IWWR-the Netherlands, EEMB/UCSB-California, KUoA/AUA-Greece etc.

Thanos is fluent in Greek, English, Spanish and has a working knowledge of German.

MSc. in Economical and Rural Development, Panteion University Greece (Greece)

MSc in Agricultural Science and Engineering, Agriculture University of Athens (Greece)

Off the record

Who said that there is no life on the top of the mountains. Favorite Quote: “Ala cascarla”

Vasiliki Vorropoulou

Business Development Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (934)

First Glance

Vasiliki is a Business Development Manager at HCL in charge of building and maintaining partnership and cooperation networks, and managing the bidding procedures for international donor-funded development projects.

Vasiliki has been with HCL since 2014, and is currently Business Development Manager responsible for business development and knowledge management. Vasiliki has gained experience at all stages of bid preparation for a number of international Donors/IFIs. These procurement tenders have been mainly in the fields of energy, environment, transport, public administration and private sector development. She is presently in charge of expressions of interest and proposal preparation, in terms of background research, identification of partners and establishment of networks and partnerships; preparation of applications; expert identification; methodology drafting, etc.

Vasiliki is fluent in Greek and English; has a working knowledge of French and Spanish and is currently learning Arabic.

MSc in European Economic Policy, Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece)

BSc in International and European Studies, University of Piraeus (Greece)

Off the record

I never miss a chance to travel, drink coffee and dance.
Favorite Quote: “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight!”

Dr. Kostas Souflis

Engineering Manager

+30 210 924 0885 - ext. (935)

First Glance

Kostas joined HCL in 2017 as Senior Engineering Consultant, although his cooperation with the company dates back to 2011 through the same role he had held with WS Atkins International Ltd. since 1996. All these years, Kostas has been involved in various donor/IFI funded projects as project director/project manager/team leader/key expert.

Kostas has over 30 years of professional experience spanning the complete project life cycle (concept, inception, feasibility studies to detailed design, value engineering, preparation of tender specifications, bills of quantities, tender budgets and documents, evaluation of bids, recommendations for tender award, development of engineering contract documents, construction supervision, monitoring of project start-up and commissioning, inspection of project operation for compliance to design/specification, works condition assessment, appraisal of project fitness for purpose, and project close-out audits). His qualifications further include preparation of proposals, program, project and design management, sub-contractor management, contracts administration, as well as preparation of claims and counterclaims for public inquiries.

He is further a management expert on business administration, strategic planning, corporate management and financial accounting (balance sheets, annual statements), program and project costing, organizational capacity assessment and building, as well as human resources management.

Kostas’ work experience involves leading, managing, and coordinating domestic and international, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary teams based at multiple locations in the delivery of engineering design, advisory, technical assistance, and management services to the private sector, international financing institutions (EU Cohesion Fund, EIB, EBRD, IFC), as well as state organizations and ministries in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans for the development, financing, and implementation of complex large scale projects and programs.